I'll Fly Away
by mountainchique
Summary: Kait MacMahon had moved to the city to find any surviving members of her family. However, with her Cherokee looks and country raising, she quickly finds she does not belong in this new world. So after a few years of saving money, she is able to move back South, to Franklin County. She is returning for peace, and to heal old wounds. But what she finds, is a story of a lifetime.
1. Prologue

I'll Fly Away

"When the shadows of this life have gone  
I'll fly away  
Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly  
I'll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet  
I'll fly away  
No more cold iron shackles on my feet  
I'll fly away"

***** I do not own ****_Lawless_**** or the Bondurant boys! I am just a fan of the movie and particularly Tom Hardy with a few connections to Virginia myself! This is my first fanfiction so please read and review. I'll take any and all constructive criticism J *****

I'm still not sure how I wound up in Franklin County, Virginia. I had a tendency, that once I had my mind wondering, my feet were sure to do the same.

It was summer, the nights were long and warm, and you were never alone. There was always a buzz in the air, it was close. The crickets and caddy-dids sang aloud, while the moon hung huge in the sky. It was summer in the mountains, and I was happy to be home.

It was prohibition-era Virginia, Franklin County to be exact; and I was starting over. I had tried to make it in the big city, but given my looks, I often found myself not welcomed, or shunned. While I was of an Irish name, Kait MacMahon, my appearance was surely a disparity. My mother was Cherokee Indian, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I had lighter skin than my mother, and the facial features of my father; but I was not of the build of a white woman. I had curves, but defined muscles in my legs and arms from the work I had put in on the family farm; and long black hair…and some even said black eyes. The women in the city all were tall and slender, with porcelain skin. I had none of this, and was thus an outsider to them. The only thing I had of envy to them was a necklace my mother had given to me when I turned 12. Made of Indian turquoise, it was a small stone on a silver chain which shown brilliantly against my tanned skin. That, after a few looks from the rich women of the town, I kept hidden, close to my heart, but it never came off….

Anywhere I went in the city, I received unwelcoming stares from the other women. They all seemed uncomfortable that an Indian woman was in the same establishments as themselves. It made it hard to find a decent job, and I certainly had the misfortune of attracting much unwanted attention from many lonely and desperate men.

I had originally grown up in Virginia, but further north where my family had owned a small farm. Both of my parents had passed when I was young, around the age of 13. I had taught myself to survive off of the things that Daddy had had time to teach me. It was a solid life, but a lonely one. I had no family nor friends nearby and nothing to stay for. When I turned 18, I caught a ride to Baltimore, and took the first train to New York. I had gone there in the hopes of finding a lost brother of my father who had chosen to stay in the city when my father and his family came to this country. However, my journey ended with the discovery he had passed a year before from the Spanish flu. I had no money for a train ticket back to Baltimore, so I settled into the city life for a while. Doing odds and ends jobs, I tried to survive in a world I did not belong in.

Five years have passed, and I feel as if I've seen too much for my short twenty three years on this earth. The city is a different world from the country, and it ages people. I needed time to slow down. To reconnect to my past and everything I had tried so hard to bury. I'm not sure why I went south, other than I had heard of possible job prospects in Franklin, it was called the "Wettest County in the World." With the prohibition still on, moonshining had become a regular business in the mountains. I had some experience with it while I had been living by myself in Buena Vista. I would use the orchard apples and mulberry bush berries to makes a few jars for the few neighbors I did have. At least I would know what I was doing and feel like I belonged again. So I packed up the few things I had, and headed South.

Surely, I would find a good job and peace there.


	2. Bruises and Bondurants

Chapter 2

I didn't remember anything, other than waking up to someone standing over me. My head was pounding, and if at all possible, my knees and legs felt worse.

My vision was blurry as I slipped in and out of consciousness. My right eye was almost swollen shut. I could feel the heat; smell the dried blood on my face. I made out the outline of the sun….how long had I been out? I couldn't remember….The person standing over me was saying something but I couldn't understand, my mind couldn't make sense of it. Last I remembered it was night, and I was running….but running away from what? I couldn't remember….

"Hey, what's yer name?" was all I could understand.

I managed to murmur out "Kait," before passing out for good.

I'm not sure how much time had passed; a few days, a week maybe. But I awoke one morning, sun on my face, streaming in through a window; the warmth awaking my brain. I was in a bed, in a small room in what appeared to be a log cabin type building. There were a few newspaper clippings on the wall. I heard a few voices coming from what seemed like downstairs.

I tried lifting myself up to sit up. Instantly I felt a shooting pain down the right side of my body. I lifted off the covers to examine my leg; someone had already wrapped a white bandage around my knee. A few blood stains were bleeding through and my head was still pounding. My right eye was definitely still swollen, though not nearly as bad as it was when I had first come to…

Before I had much time to do some examining of my new surroundings, I heard a few unsteady footsteps coming down the hallway; the person seemed to have a slight limp. I threw the blanket back over my leg and sunk back into bed, keeping an eye on the door. A boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen, swung his head into my room. He had messy brown hair and the sweetest smile. I knew he could be trusted.

"You're awake! I found you and I was so 'fraid you was dead…"

"So you saved me then?" I asked. "I believe I owe you a thanks." I tried sitting up halfway, as much as I could muster, and stuck out my right hand. "What's your name?"

"Names Cricket, ma'am." He extended his hand. I took it, "I'm Kait, very pleased to meet you Cricket, and thank you for saving my life." I smiled warmly at him. There were a few seconds of silence until the thought popped in my head… "so where exactly are we?"

He got a smile on his face, "We're at The Station in Franklin….you were hurt purdy bad when I found ya, didn't know where else to take ya….My friend Jack and his brothers own the place. They, well I should say Maggie, wrapped ya up pretty good!" He seemed proud of himself.

So I was 'in town', as the outsiders called it, probably ten miles or so from my cabin. But what had happened that night and how did I fall? I hadn't been in Franklin for more than a few weeks. What was I running from? "Say Cricket, where did you find me, did you see me have my accident?"

"No ma'am, I didn't see nothin. Just happened upon you on the way out of town. Looked like ya clean fell off the cliff or somethin…say, what were you doin up there anyways?"

"You know, I was kinda hoping you could help me with that, I can't seem to remember." I shrugged my shoulders and Cricket told me I should rest. He was going to run downstairs to get me my clothes. Apparently this 'Maggie' had washed them for me too. He returned a few minutes later with the brown trousers and white wife beater I had been wearing the night of the accident; along with my underwear and bra. I could see his cheeks turn a bright shade of pink when he handed the latter to me.

"You know, Forrest is gonna be happy to see you up. He kept checkin on you…he helped me pick you up and bring ya back here, seemed pretty worried and all. I'll let em know you're awake!" With that he spinned around and headed downstairs, seemingly pretty excited. Well I didn't know who this Forrest was, but it seemed like I owed him a big thanks, too.

I got dressed, tucked my trousers into my boots I had been wearing that were set at the end of the bed for me. Good thing that the pants were so loose so that the bandage could fit underneath. I tucked the wife beater into the trousers, the only acceptable shirt to wear to me seeing as it was so hot, and felt my fingers run over Momma's necklace, making sure it was still there. I threw my hair up into a messy bun, and knew I was a sight to behold, a sore one at that. Here in the country, you didn't see many a women wearing trousers; in fact it was looked upon harshly by many of the men. My skin was still deeply tanned from the summer sun, and my hair had grown long, practically down to my hips from the lack of salons here in the country. A few loose strands feel from my bun, snaking their way down my back. I knew I looked wild, and I liked it.

I did the best I could to steady myself, holding onto the bed for support, crinkling my nose in pain, I did the best I could to straighten up and make my way downstairs. I followed the hallway down to a staircase, gripping the banister with all the strength I could muster, and notice it opened up to what seemed to be a bar like restaurant. There were a few people scattered among the tables, mostly rough looking men sipping what seemed to be moonshine from mason jars. There was a red headed lady behind the bar in a fancy dress outfit: that must be Maggie.

There was another young man, around Cricket's age sitting at the bar talking to her, filling salt jars. A second was standing in the corner, arms crossed sipping on a mason jar making small chat with the young man sitting at the bar. Cricket came around the corner with a huge smile on his face, "Jack, Howard, this is Kait, look, she's awake!" The young man sitting at the bar turned around to face me, getting a big grin on his face too. The red headed woman at the bar nodded and gave me a polite smile, nothing more; then walked to the back kitchen. "Well hi there, you're alive!" Jack proclaimed.

"Sure am, thanks to Mr. Cricket here," I stuck out my hand, "Kait, MacMahon." Shaking it, he replied, "Jack Bondurant, pleased to meet ya ma'am, nice shiner ya got there" he said pointing to my eye. "This here is Howard, my oldest brother, don't know where Forrest went…" Howard took another sip and nodded in my direction, looking a little nervous, and took off walking outside. I liked Jack and Cricket, even though they looked grown up, they still had their boyish personalities, and I knew there were good people.

For what seemed like hours, with my leg and head were still pounding, Jack and Cricket asked me question after question. Where I was from, what I did in the big city, how I wound up back here….I noticed the sun starting to set, so I decided to get some fresh air. The boys had fed me, seemingly to some protest of Maggie, and given me a few shots of moonshine to ease the pain in my leg and head. I told the boys I'd be back when I noticed the large front porch off the front of the building. Perfect place to sit and rest for a while.

I made my way out to the porch, pushing the screen door open, stepping out into the fresh air. I stood there for a couple of seconds, taking in the smells, that heavy scent of pine and grass from a southern summer evening. I stretched my arms up into the sky, breathing in deep, yawning and rolling my head around in the process, trying to get the kinks out of my neck. It was then I noticed someone sitting to my left. I immediately swung my arms down to my side, feeling a little embarrassed and caught off guard.

There was slow gurgle it seemed like coming from his throat, a few mumbling sounds. Then he managed the words, "Afternoon, good to see you 'wake." He talked slowly and with a deep voice and southern accent. He chose he words carefully. I nodded my head, short on words, because not only did the man catch me off guard, but he had a stature about him, like he could strike at any moment. It seemed like his steel eyes could read my thoughts, and nervousness; though I recognized the fluttering in my stomach and knew this was all in my head. I recognized instantly the attractiveness of this man. His wide shoulders, defined jaw, light blonde hair, and his perfect lips…something that drew my attention when he took so long to get out his thoughts.

"Afternoon," was all I could manage, "you must be Forrest."


	3. Taken by Surprise

**Chapter 3**

**** Again, I do not own any rights to the movie "Lawless" or any of the character in the movie. I am just a fan!****

I had been staying at the Station for a few weeks now; Forrest had let me, until my leg healed. I had taken to doing little chores around the place. It kept me busy and made me feel like I wasn't intruding. In my time at the Station, I had become pretty close with Jack and Cricket; Forrest and Howard kept their distance, on account of Forrest being the strong silent type and Howard being drunk most of the time and I felt as if I made him a little nervous. It was true Forrest never said much, but I knew he was keeping an eye on me. Whether it was because he did not fully trust me, or for other reasons, I wasn't entirely sure. He was definitely a hard man to read.

It was a hot summer afternoon when I came back to the Station from picking up a few things at the Feed Store in town. I had gone with Jack, but left him behind when he got side tracked trying to talk to Bertha Minnix, the preachers daughter and whom I suspected he had a bit of a crush on. I was dressed in only a pair of dark khaki slacks and black wife beater with my turquoise necklace; again, it was too damn hot to wear much of anything else. I walked in and grabbed a mason jar of cool water from Maggie, nodding and giving a half smile as she slid the glass across the counter to me. She hadn't quite taken to me either yet. I took a seat at one of the tables and let my body temperature come back down to normal. After a few minutes, I spotted a broom over in the corner by the bar. I grabbed it, trying to make myself useful. I headed out to the front porch, figuring on sweeping it, trying to make the place look just a little bit cleaner.

I had just creaked the screen door open when I stopped dead in my tracks.

Forrest was up out of his rocking chair, having a confrontation with several officers. There were a few cop cars and nicer looking cars parked in the lot. Whatever they were discussing, it did not seem to be going well for Forrest. It was then I saw him. A tall, dark man with greased back hair and fancy suit came walking up to Forrest. He pointed a finger at him, pushing it reassuringly into Forrest's chest. This man looked familiar. I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but I didn't feel like I knew him; rather it felt like he was from a bad dream and I was having déjà vu seeing him. Afraid of what might happen next and not thinking clearly, I pushed the door open and stepped out onto the porch.

I walked out, the door slamming behind me. It was in that instance that I felt my world stop. The man in the fancy suit with greased back hair stopped saying whatever he was saying to Forrest and snapped his head towards me. He looked me up and down; stopping, I noticed, to linger a few more moments looking at where my turquoise necklace fell on my chest. I watched in horror as his arms slowly fell, any menacing look he had in his face sank away, his eyes opening wide. Forrest followed his gaze over to me, keeping a close eye on what this creep might do next. This man had already pushed Forrest to his limit, and now he was just looking for an excuse. Before Forrest could do anything, the man had rounded up his henchmen and within seconds they were back in their cars, driving off into the distance. Not before his car slowed down to give Forrest a one last, "This isn't over yet," before driving off for good.

There were a few seconds of silence, which seemed to last forever, as the dust settled from the cars settled back into the ground. Forrest stayed glued to his spot on the ground, and I stayed put on the porch. That man had knew me, and I had scared him off, or at least, startled him for now. After what seemed like ten minutes, Forrest wheeled around and made his way up the porch not making eye contact with me. As he brushed by me, he grunted out, "Follow me," walking straight into the Station. He was thinking, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

The sun had started to set, and most of the customers had gone for the day. Maggie was cleaning up behind the bar, but after Forrest came in, me following at his heels, she seemed to hurry in her work to make light of the awkward situation. Everyone knew, or at least from what I picked up on they did, that Maggie had a thing for Forrest. Though it seemed as if Forrest was oblivious. Seeing him pay attention to anyone else nearly put the girl in manic depressive states. Ignoring her, I followed Forrest to the back table where Jack and Cricket were sitting. They both were sitting wide eyed, startled, and waiting for an explanation.

"Sit." Forrest ordered. "What tha hell was that?"

I sat for a few minutes in silence, carefully trying to choose my words. I felt like I was already a burden upon the boys and Maggie for being there. And now, out of the blue, this crazy man who had come there to apparently threaten their business and whole way of life, was apparently threatened and scared by me.

"First, I don't know who that man was. I felt like I had maybe seen em' before, like in a nightmare, but I swear Forrest, I ain't got no idea who he is." I looked up from my position of staring at the table, making eye contact with him across the table. I wanted him to know I was sincere, and for what it was worth, a little scared too.

"You may not know him, but he sure as hell knew you" he stated. Not sure how this conversation was going, I offered up the obvious.

"I'll leave the Station then. It's only fair. I've stayed too long anyways, and this guy can't be comin' round here lookin for me. Not with your business and all." While I had been staying there, Jack had leaked the family secret to me; not to mention the obviousness when he kept showing up in nicer clothes…without having a legitimate job. I began biting my lower lip, nervous, trying to figure where I could go next….back to the cabin maybe? But I couldn't remember what had happened the night of my accident, and if it was even safe to go back there.

"No." He caught my attention and I snapped my head back up, making eye contact again. "You need ta stay here, ya can't be runnin' round when this guy is still in town. You'll stay here at the Station until this is taken care of." There was a moment of silence, then he lifted his head to look me in the eye, "Ain't nothin gonna happen to you Kait." He stayed there for a few moments, I felt as if he was peering into the deepest darkest places of my soul, like he knew exactly how I was feeling without having to ask. Whatever fear the greasy man had put into my mind was suddenly gone, I felt safe and relaxed. Then he was gone.


End file.
